Gen Z’s Are All About Embracing Old Fashioned Retro Products!
New research has revealed a resurgence of interest in vintage household items, with almost HALF of younger Brits (47 percent) claiming they just love retro products.
And when it comes to the items which are back in fashion, over a third (39 percent) of 18–29-year-olds are fans of the 1970’s favourite, the lava lamp, while 34 percent have bought a traditional biscuit tin.
Three in ten are shunning digital in favour of snapping pics using a Polaroid camera, while 31 percent love using old-school consoles like Game Boys.
Meanwhile, 28 percent of Brits aged 18 to 29 think garden gnomes are cool, 29 percent like to hang dreamcatchers, and 17 percent use potpourri to fragrance their homes.
And a quarter (25 percent) of younger Brits claim to only wear vintage or secondhand clothes.
Despite the rise of streaming platforms, 26 percent are buying DVDs, while 22 percent enjoy listening to vinyl records.
Meanwhile, 23 percent of younger Brits can’t resist making a brew with a retro teapot, 22 percent use china cups (22 percent), and one in ten (10 percent) use doilies.
According to the study, by Glowforge, 19 percent wake up to the sound of a traditional alarm, 12 percent love floral patterned curtains and furniture, and one in ten favour an embroidered tablecloth.
The research of 2,000 Britons aged 18- to 29, also found that 12 percent like to get creative with a floral press, 15 percent collect dolls houses and 12 percent think retro-style telephones, complete with a rotary dial, have become trendy again.
Dan Shapiro, CEO and co-founder at Glowforge, who commissioned the research said, “It’s great to see that young British adults are fully embracing vintage and homemade items. At Glowforge, we love to enable creators to make things exactly as they want them – items that are homemade are more personal and meaningful, and often more useful! Whether people want to slow down and appreciate the craftsmanship of previous decades, customise the things they use in their own world or invent something brand new, they can do it by making things themselves.”
And when it comes to the reasons behind this trend, half of Brits polled say that old household items always come back around in time, while 43 percent say it’s down to more Brits embracing a traditional way of living.
A third (34 percent) say we can’t resist a bit of nostalgia, while 27 percent think that younger Brits are embracing items their parents and grandparents previously enjoyed.
In fact, 43 percent say people like to buy or make their own items all in the name of nostalgia.
The research also found that 48 percent of young Brits make homemade cakes (54 percent), 38 percent make their own jam, and more than one in 10 (12 percent) create hand-decorated photo frames.
And when it comes to the reasons behind more young Brits embracing traditional and retro items, these include a rejection of certain elements of modern living, like social media (34 percent) and embracing trends like “cottage core” (36 percent).
The Top 30 Retro Products Thats Are Back In Fashion
- Lava lamps 38%
- Biscuit tins 34%
- Old game consoles 31%
- Polaroid cameras 30%
- Garden gnomes 28%
- Dream catchers 29%
- DVD collections 26%
- Vintage/ secondhand clothes 25%
- A proper tea pot 23%
- Bunting 23%
- Vinyl records 22%
- A record player 22%
- China teacups 22%
- Flared jeans 22%
- CD collections 20%
- Retro style alarm clock 19%
- Comic collections 18%
- Pot pourri 17%
- Tea cosies 17%
- Hand decorated photo frames 16%
- Dolls houses 15%
- Drinks trolley 15%
- Retro Rotary Dial telephone 12%
- Floral prints for curtains or furniture 12%
- A flower press 12%
- Patterned carpets 11%
- A kettle that heats up on the stove 11%
- Doilies 10%
- Embroidered tablecloths 10%
- Lazy Susan 10%
Research of 2,000 young Brits was commissioned by Glowforge and conducted by Perspectus Global in Oct 2021
